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Tuesday Teacher Tips - Seymour Simon, Science Apps and Nonfiction Text Features

These were tips I sent out on December 3 - focusing on science.  If you haven't had a chance to check out Seymour Simon's website, it's a must for science lovers.

Spotlight on Seymour Simon

If you want to get your students connected and excited about science, you should check out Seymour Simon.

Seymour Simon has written over 250 science books for kids.  He has written on nearly every topic from Wolves, to Mars to Guts, and you’ll find many of his books right here in our library.

In addition to his immense collection of science books, you’ll also find an incredible resource in his website, which you can find [here].  The website includes links to    a Science Dictionary, Science Riddles and Jokes, information about his many books, and a link to the Seymour Simon Science Blog which you can find [here].  The blog includes short articles about many different science related topics and could be a nice discussion starter in class.
Search through the blog for specific topics by clicking on tags on the left side of the screen.  One in particular you would want to check out is Writing Wednesday, which can be found [here].  Writing Wednesday posts vary in content, but you’ll find discussions of writing technique with examples and writing prompts that may inspire your students to learn more.

Seymour Simon is incredibly active when it comes to exploring science topics with students and educators.  You can request a Skype visit with him [here], and be sure to follow him on Twitter, by clicking [here].

Are you doing something incredible in your science classes?  Share it with Seymour Simon [here], and it might get featured on his blog!  

Science Apps to Checkout

Jon Samuelson (find him [here] @ipadsammy on Twitter) has a great list of 5 Great Apps for Future Scientists that you should check out [here] at Getting Smart.  They range in content, and are all kid-approved.

Matt Gomez (find him [here] on Twitter) uses the InstaWeatherPro app ($1.99) to help his kindergarten kids learn about weather.  Find out how he uses it on his blog [here].

Nonfiction Text Features  - video to introduce or review
Students can use nonfiction text features like bold text, captions, photos, headings and subheadings, table of contents and the glossary to efficiently locate important information.  Often, however, the connection between the text features and how we can use them to be more efficient isn’t always clear.  Students need to be able to use the text features, not just identify them.

The instructional video from eSpark Learning “Using Nonfiction Text Features” really drives home the connection that is so often missed.  See the video [here].




eSpark doesn’t just stop with text features, they have a whole series of videos tied to the CCSS, check them out [here].

Informational Texts - Pinterest Board

Need more ideas for how to use Nonfiction texts? Check out my Pinterest board. There are tons of resources I have found helpful, including graphic organizers and lesson ideas. Find it [here].
 

 


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